Department reminding residents that new alert system is operational
Coatesville Police want to remind residents that its new Tip411 service is operational, the first such communication tool in Chester County.
Tipsters can transmit anonymous tips (non-emergency) via a smart app located in the iTunes and Google Play stores. Citizens can also register to receive alerts from the department at www.facebook.com/cityofcoatesvillepolicedepartment or http://www.coatesville.org/police-department.
“We’re proud to make this technology available to our citizens free of charge,” said Police Chief Jack Laufer. “This tool, along with our existing dispatch for emergencies, the anonymous phone tip line of 610-380-1830 and e-mail tip line of citytips@coatesville.org will help our citizens play an active role in keeping neighborhoods safer.”
The Coatesville PD Tips app can be downloaded online at the Google Play store, iTunes, or by visiting the Police Department’s webpage. Citizens can also send an anonymous tip to the City of Coatesville Police Department by texting the keyword COATESVILLE and their tip to 847411. To learn more about Coatesville’s system, visit https://coatesvilletimes.com/?p=9223.
Terry Halsch, the president of CitizenObserver, the company providing the system, said all identifying information is removed so that the tipster’s confidentiality is assured. He said in a couple of municipalities, system records have been subpoenaed for various legal reasons, and the only email addresses that could be retrieved were those of the police administrators.
In other police business, Officer Stephen Galletta made contact with James Quail, 61, of Coatesville, on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 9:39 a.m. in the 700 block of East Lincoln Highway, police said. Quail had two bench warrants for failure to appear in an assault case and was held for constables, police said.
Officer Stephen Galletta came in contact with Demetrius Joseph, 18, of Coatesville, on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 3:58 p.m., police said. Joseph was taken into custody in the100 block of East Lincoln Highway on a warrant and held for constables, police said.
Coatesville Police responded to a domestic dispute between ex-spouses in the unit block of North Third Avenue on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 9:12 p.m., Officer Raymond Jaglowicz reported. Upon investigation, William Tapealava, 47, of Coatesville, was arrested without incident, accused of causing injury by kicking a door closed in the face of the victim, police said.
